Pacu

Pacu, unlike piranha, mainly feed on plant material and not flesh or scales. Additionally, the pacu can reach much larger sizes than piranha, up to 1.08 m (3 ft 6+1⁄2 in) in total length and 40 kg (88 lb) in weight. The common name pacu is generally applied to fish classified under the below listed genera. Among these, several genera contain species where commonly used English names include the word pacu, as listed. Each of these groups contains one or more separate species. For example, the fish often found in pet stores, known as the black pacu and red-bellied pacu, typically belong to the species Colossoma macropomum and Piaractus brachypomus, respectively. A species popular among fish farmers is Piaractus mesopotamicus, also known as Paraná River pacu or small-scaled pacu. Pacu is a term of Tupi-Guaraní origin.